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| From our survey in Jul 2022. |
We survey the Serapong shore once a year. There was unexplained mass death here in Jun 2018 - With a heavy smell of death (like a badly run fish market) as we saw large corals and sponges that were bleaching, or had dying, rotting tissue. In Apr 2019 and Jul 2021, there were few hard corals and the shore was quiet. Recovery was observed in Jul 2022 and May 2023.
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| From our survey in May 2024 |
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| Corals near the Causeway Bridge seen on May 2024 Photos by Loh Kok Sheng. |
We did not survey the shore after the 14 Jun 2024 Pasir Panjang oil spill.
23 tonnes of diesel leaks from police facility into southern waters; oil patches seen off Sentosa
Chin Hui Shan Straits Times 6 Feb 2025
SINGAPORE – About 23 tonnes of diesel oil leaked from the Police Coast Guard Brani Regional Base in southern Singapore into surrounding waters on Feb 5.
In a joint statement, the Singapore Police Force, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and National Environment Agency said on Feb 6 that the oil leak was discovered at 11.40am on Feb 5 and “isolated” at about 3.40pm the same day.
They said that about 23 tonnes of oil had leaked from a damaged shore fuel hose used to refuel patrol craft at Selat Sengkir.
This is at least the fifth incident involving oil spilling into Singapore’s waters since June 2024.
The authorities said “there were no oil slicks observed”, but added that an oily sheen could be seen in some areas.
Members of the public told The Straits Times they saw patches of oil in the waters off the resort island of Sentosa.
Mr Sirius Ng, an outrigger paddler with the Singapore Paddle Club, told ST that he saw patches of oil off the entire south-western coast of Sentosa, from Tanjong Rimau to Tanjong Beach, on Feb 6 from around 6.45am to 8am.
“I was out paddling off Sentosa in the morning. The spill was quite extensive,” he said. “Everyone that was out this morning had to paddle through it on our outrigger canoes and surfskis.”
He added: “We noticed the smell before we visually confirmed that we were paddling in oil as it was dark when we first set off... The oil made it difficult to grip our paddles due to its greasiness, and we had to wash our canoes thoroughly after training.”
The authorities said that navigational traffic in the area was not affected and there was no impact to operations in the Port of Singapore.
“The Police Coast Guard and the MPA have deployed patrol craft and spill response resources to clean up small patches of light oil sheens observed in our southern waters. Contractors have also been activated to support the operation,” they added.
In response to queries from ST on Feb 6, a Sentosa Development Corporation spokesperson said: “Currently, there are no oil sightings or smell at all our beaches, and the waters of Tanjong, Palawan, and Siloso beaches remain open.”
Guests can continue to use the beaches for water activities, the spokesperson said.
As a precautionary measure, oil absorbent and deflective booms have been deployed around Tanjong, Palawan and Siloso beaches to safeguard the shores and marine environment.
“We are monitoring the situation closely with the relevant agencies and will provide updates on our Facebook page and website in due course,” the spokesperson added.
On June 14, 2024, Singapore experienced its worst oil spill in a decade after a dredging boat hit a stationary cargo tanker in Pasir Panjang Terminal, resulting in more than 400 tonnes of oil leaking into nearby waters.
Oil slicks spread to the waters near Labrador Nature Reserve, Sentosa, East Coast Park, the Southern Islands and Changi, requiring massive clean-up efforts that lasted about three months.
Subsequently, on Oct 20, 2024, about 30 to 40 tonnes of oil and water leaked from a land-based pipeline from the Shell oil refinery facility into the waters straddling Bukom Island and Bukom Kechil.
Shell alerted the authorities to the oil leak later that day at about 1pm – more than seven hours after the leak was found at 5.30am.
About a week after that incident, five tonnes of oil flowed into the sea on Oct 28 during a bunkering operation between a Bahamas-flagged bulk carrier and a bunker tanker off Changi.
In December 2024, a few tonnes of refined oil products produced at an oil processing unit at the Shell Energy and Chemicals Park leaked, prompting Shell to shut down the unit temporarily.
Oil leak from damaged fuel hose at Police Coast Guard's Brani base; no oil slicks observed
About 23 tonnes of oil leaked from the damaged hose.
Channel NewsAsia 6 Feb 2025
SINGAPORE: About 23 tonnes of oil leaked from a damaged fuel hose at the Police Coast Guard's Brani base, Singapore authorities said in a statement on Thursday (Feb 6).
No oil slicks have been observed, said the Singapore Police Force, Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) and National Environment Agency (NEA) in a joint statement.
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The diesel oil leak was discovered at the Brani Regional Base on Wednesday at about 11.40am and eventually isolated at about 3.40pm.
The oil came from a damaged shore fuel hose used to refuel patrol craft at Selat Sengkir.
The Police Coast Guard and MPA deployed patrol craft and "spill response resources" to clean up small patches of light oil sheens seen in Singapore's southern waters.
"Contractors have also been activated to support the operation. There are no oil slicks observed," said the authorities.
Navigational traffic in the area is not affected. There is no impact on operations in the Port of Singapore, they added.
In a separate statement, a Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) spokesperson said it is aware of the incident.
"Currently, there are no oil sightings or smell at all our beaches, and the waters of Tanjong, Palawan, and Siloso Beach remain open. Guests can continue to use our beaches for water activities."
As a precautionary measure, the spokesperson said SDC has deployed a mix of oil absorbent and deflective booms around the three beaches to safeguard the shores and marine environment.
OIL SPILLS
This is the latest in a series of incidents where oil has spilt or leaked into Singapore’s waters.
Singapore agencies said in December that Shell had shut down an oil processing unit at Pulau Bukom to facilitate investigations into a suspected leak in the system.
It was estimated that “a few tonnes” of refined oil products were leaked, together with cooling water discharge. Oil sheens were later seen alongside a wharf at the facility, with containment and clean-up measures taken.
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In June, an oil spill occurred after Netherlands-flagged dredger Vox Maxima hit Singapore-flagged bunker vessel Marine Honour at Pasir Panjang Terminal.
This ruptured one of Marine Honour’s oil cargo tanks, releasing about 400 tonnes of low-sulphur fuel into the sea.
Clean-up operations involved 800 cleaning personnel and 2,300 volunteers, and were completed in September, ahead of schedule.
On Oct 20, about 30 to 40 metric tonnes of "slop" - a mixture of oil and water - leaked from a Shell land-based pipeline into the sea between Bukom Island and Bukom Kecil.
And on Oct 28, an estimated 5 tonnes of oil was reported to have overflowed during bunkering operations between a Bahamas-flagged bulk carrier and a licensed bunker tanker.
The International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF) categorises oil spills of less than 7 tonnes as small.
Untitled MPA Media Release 5 Feb 2025
The Singapore Police Force confirms that a diesel oil leak was discovered at the Police Coast Guard (PCG) Brani Regional Base on 5 February 2025, at around 11.40am (Singapore Time). The leak was eventually isolated at about 3.40pm. About 23 tonnes had leaked from a damaged shore fuel hose used to refuel patrol craft at Selat Sengkir.
2. PCG and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore have deployed patrol craft and spill response resources to clean up small patches of light oil sheens observed in our southern waters. Contractors have also been activated to support the operation. There are no oil slicks observed.
3. Navigational traffic in the area is not affected. There is no impact to operations in the Port of Singapore.
Oil leak from police facility prompts inspection of all fuel pipes at other coast guard bases
Zachary Lim Straits Times 10 Feb 2025
SINGAPORE – All fuel pipes at the Police Coast Guard’s (PCG) three other bases are also being checked for leaks, following the Feb 5 oil leak incident at its Brani Regional Base, the police told The Straits Times.
The incident led to the inspection of all fuel pipes at Brani Regional Base on Feb 6. Fuel pipes at the other three bases – at Loyang, Lim Chu Kang and Gul – are also being checked, with inspections expected to be completed on Feb 10.
The police were responding to queries from The Straits Times on the oil leak incident, which resulted in 23 tonnes of diesel oil leaking into the waters south of Singapore from the Brani Regional Base on Feb 5.
In response to ST’s queries on why it took over 24 hours for the public to be alerted to the leak, the police laid out the sequence of events that took place once the leak was detected.
The oil leak was discovered at 11.40am on Feb 5 and “isolated” at about 3.40pm the same day, the authorities said in a statement on Feb 6.
Patrol craft and spill response resources to clean up small patches of light oil sheens were deployed, said the Singapore Police Force, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and National Environment Agency in a joint statement at around 8.30pm.
The authorities had said in the statement that there were “no oil slicks observed”, although they acknowledged that an oily sheen could be seen in some areas. Paddlers at Sentosa reported paddling through oil on the morning of Feb 6.
At around 11.40am on Feb 5, a “small intermittent leak” of marine diesel from one of the fuel pipes occurred at Brani Regional Base, the police said.
“Checks by base personnel and a contractor were subsequently deployed at around 12.25pm and 1.40pm,” they added.
But no further leaks were detected then, and there was no observable oily sheen on the water, they said.
Just before 3.30pm on Feb 5, however, MPA observed patches of oil sheen on the waters of Selat Sengkir, the body of water south of the coast where Brani Regional Base sits, and alerted the PCG to conduct checks.
“A contractor found that the pipe was leaking again. The pipe was assessed to be damaged and the fuel valve was isolated at 3.40pm to prevent further leakage,” the police said.
“PCG confirmed the leak to MPA at 5.50pm, after verifying the amount of diesel that had been lost from PCG’s fuel tank,” added the police spokesman.
The police said: “The preliminary assessment is that the leak might be caused by a damaged fuel pipe with micro cracks, as a result of repeated twisting of the pipe due to the movement of the pontoons caused by tidal changes.”
The police spokesman added that the fuel pipes are maintained monthly, with the latest check conducted on Jan 17, and the next check scheduled for the week of Feb 10.
This is at least the fifth incident since June 2024 involving oil spilling or leaking into Singapore’s waters.
Recent incidents of oil spills or leaks in Singapore’s waters
June 14, 2024
Fuel leaked into the sea following an allision between the Netherlands-flagged dredging boat Vox Maxima and Singapore-flagged bunker vessel Marine Honour at Pasir Panjang Terminal.
Tonnes spilled: 400
Type of oil: Bunker fuel
Oct 20, 2024
Oil leaked from a land-based Shell pipeline between Bukom Island and Bukom Kecil.
Tonnes leaked: 30 to 40
Type of oil: “Slop” – a mixture of oil and water
Oct 28, 2024
Oil flowed into the sea during a bunkering operation between a Bahamas-flagged bulk carrier and a bunker tanker off Changi.
No oil is seen in the waters near Changi Bay Point along the Changi Bay Park Connector on Oct 29,
Tonnes spilled: Five
Type of oil: Bunker fuel
Dec 26, 2024
Refined oil products from a processing unit at Shell Energy and Chemicals Park leaked into the waters off Bukom Island, prompting Shell to shut down the unit temporarily
Clean-up operations being conducted on Dec 27 after refined oil products leaked into the waters off
Tonnes leaked: Unknown, determined to be “minor”
Type of oil: Refined oil products
Feb 5, 2025
Oil leaked from a damaged shore fuel hose at Brani Regional Base, which is used to refuel patrol craft.
A view of Pulau Brani (centre).ST PHOTO: WANG HUI FEN
Tonnes leaked: 23
Type of oil: Diesel oil
Feb 5 diesel oil incident at Singapore coast guard base initially identified as water leak
Zhaki Abdullah Straits Times 27 Feb 2025
SINGAPORE – Earlier in February, an auxiliary police officer spotted an oil leak at the Police Coast Guard’s (PCG) Brani Regional Base, but took it for a water leak.
The incident at the base resulted in some 23 tonnes of diesel oil leaking into Singapore’s southern waters on Feb 5.
The officer – who was deployed at the base that day – had reported at 11.57am that water was leaking from a damaged hose, Minister of State for Home Affairs Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim said in Parliament on Feb 27.
The minister added that CCTV camera footage and further investigations established the hose as the cause of the leak.
He noted that there were both fuel and water hoses on the pontoon, and that the officer in question was not trained to identify oil leaks.
“Marine diesel appears as a clear, transparent liquid, so he thought it was water,” said Associate Professor Faishal.
He was responding to a parliamentary question by Mr Dennis Tan (Hougang), who had asked whether a formal investigation would be conducted to ascertain the cause of the Feb 5 oil leak at Brani Regional Base.
Neither a PCG officer nor facilities management staff – who conducted further checks at 12.25pm and 1.38pm, respectively – spotted any visible oil sheen on the water or smelled an oil spill, and the case was then assessed to be a water leak.
It was later discovered that the leak had stopped on its own at about 12.20pm, but had restarted at 2.47pm.
The leak was finally stopped at about 3.40pm when a contractor spotted the leak and isolated the main valve, Prof Faishal said.
Investigations by the PCG found that the leak was caused by a damaged fuel hose connecting the wharf’s fuel distribution network to the fuel dispenser on the pontoon, he said.
“PCG’s preliminary assessment is that the fuel hose developed micro-cracks during cyclical stresses, during routine coiling and uncoiling, which eventually led to a tear that caused the fuel spillage,” he said.
He added that such fuel hoses are checked and maintained on a monthly basis.
Following the Feb 5 incident, checks on all fuel hoses at Brani Regional Base were conducted on Feb 6, while similar checks at PCG’s three other bases – at Loyang, Lim Chu Kang and Gul – were conducted on Feb 8.
“While PCG’s maintenance and reporting protocols are generally consistent with industry best practices, PCG is reviewing them nevertheless to further reduce the likelihood of leaks of such magnitude in the future,” said Prof Faishal.
The incident on Feb 5 came after several spills over the past year.
They include Singapore’s worst oil spill in a decade in June 2024 when a dredging boat hit a stationary bunker vessel at Pasir Panjang Terminal.
It resulted in more than 400 tonnes of oil leaking into nearby waters.
And on Oct 20 that year, about 30 to 40 tonnes of oil and water leaked from a land-based pipeline from the Shell oil refinery facility into the waters between Bukom Island and Bukom Kechil.
The British energy giant alerted the authorities to the oil leak more than seven hours after it was discovered.
